The qualities of this restaurant may well be exaggerated by its close proximity to (and contrast with) tourist central, but if you're looking for great food in a quiet setting, this is the place.
Seven Fish is in a residential street, easily reached from Duval or Truman (the main drags). It's small, extremely stylish and discrete (we walked straight past it) and feels far from the madding crowd of Duval street despite being less than ten minutes away.
The decor is modern, minimal and knowingly tasteful. Clean lines are the order of the day and, although the dining area is very small, this helps to maximise the feeling of space.
The menu is fairly short with 7 or 8 starters and about a dozen main courses with the addition of usually fish-oriented daily specials. Although seafood with an Asian flavour takes the lead, there is room for steak, chicken and meatloaf too.
The dishes we tried were excellent. We were ready for seafood after a few too many days in theme parks gorging on junk and Seven Fish certainly delivers in that department. For starters we shared the crabcakes and eggplant crostini with our dining partners - both cooked perfectly with delicious spicy sauces accompanying them. Our mains included Yellow Snapper, more crab cakes (they were that good) and the strip steak. Thai-oriented spices abounded but never overpowered the base ingredients.
The stylish simplicity of the place was a refreshing find in Key West after an evening in less salubrious surroundings. It costs that little bit more, particularly if you have wine, but it was one of the highlights of our stay.